


Nothing but the Truth

by nate_heywood



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: (it's not really unrequited), M/M, Renaissance Era, Steelatom - Freeform, Truth, Unrequited Love, Waverider - Freeform, forced to tell the truth, pining nate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-05-13 22:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19260028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nate_heywood/pseuds/nate_heywood
Summary: This fic is inspired by 4x10 (The Getaway) but takes place instead of it in the timeline.In a desperate attempt to get his father to continue funding the Time Bureau, Nate decides to take on a mission with the Legends and claim that he lead it. Although it seems foolproof, after a run-in with an ancient demon, he is forced to tell only the truth. Stuck on a ship with the one man who he has been hiding a secret from since they met and a curse that is gradually getting worse, Nate has to find a way to solve this issue before it gets the better of him.





	1. Chapter 1

Nate groaned, pushing the papers on his desk aside. He buried his hands in his hair, looking over the email he had received for what could likely be the fiftieth time. He thought he was getting closer to Hank, yet the email from him was so odd and impersonal that a stranger could probably never guess it was from his dad. While it was cold and curt, Nate surmised that he was basically saying that something needed to change with the rate they were gathering magical creatures. That or the budget would greatly go down, which he knew would devastate Ava.

That very reaction was the reason he justified not even mentioning the email to her. He already had multiple ideas for how to handle it. Apart from the ones that involved injuring his father or quitting the Time Bureau, only a few seemed logical to him. Of course, he could always try to draw him away by exposing his illegal activities within the Bureau, but he figured it was too soon for that. Besides, their relationship was fractured enough to break with the extra pressure. His next best idea was to impress his dad, which he had already determined would be equally difficult.

He knew if anyone could help him on his seemingly hopeless mission, it was the Legends. After all, some of their best work happened to be seemingly hopeless. Nate leaned back in his chair one more time, gazing up at the ceiling in thought. In a sudden burst of determination, he pushed up from his desk, deciding it was about time to get back into the field anyway. There was only so much of sitting behind a table and dressing up for parties he could take.

He looked down at his time courier, amazed every time that it had become so easy to travel throughout space and history. He was far too used to having to fly a whole ship that happened not to even start most of the time. Nate pressed a few buttons on the courier, hoping that he remembered how to work the thing well enough to not end up in the vacuum of the temporal zone.

He opened the portal, closing his eyes as he stepped through in case he was met with an untimely death. The fact that he felt the floor underneath his work shoes and didn't seem to be falling was a good sign, causing him to force his eyes open. He was met by the familiar scene of the Waverider's bridge. No matter how long he was away from it, the place still felt like his home. Everything from the parlor to the console positioned in the middle of the vast area had hundreds of memories tied to it that he just couldn't get out of his head.

"Nate, buddy, it's been so long. I swear, no one else on this ship will watch Back to the Future with me without talking about all the ways it's wrong," Ray strode out, a huge smile lighting up his face.

He threw open his arms, pulling Nate into a tight hug. Although he was more than happy to see his friend, he found himself having to force a matching smile onto his face. He had passed off the fact that he was avoiding the Waverider on his dad, but Ray had more to do with it than he'd like to admit. Every time he saw him, his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. However, he was certain that the next time it did, it would break with all the love Ray seemed to have for a certain reformed villain.

"I guess they'd freak out if they ever saw Hot Tub Time Machine," he found that the more time he spent with Ray, the more his smile came naturally. "I've missed you too, though. Gary's not exactly the best temporary Time Bro."

"So why did you come, anyway?" Ray asked. "I mean, not that I don't want to see you. I'm assuming with this whole situation, you're too busy to binge watch Star Wars."

"First of all, we would be binge-watching Indiana Jones if I get any say in it," Nate said as Ray shook his head insistently. "Second, I have a very oddly specific request for Sara."

"Ah, Sara, okay,"

Ray's signature smile returned to his face, but Nate caught it falter for a moment. Although he tried to shoot him a knowing glance, not only did he know nothing about what was going on, Ray had already turned on his heal. Nate sighed gently, leaning against the console.

He folded his arms over his chest, lost in his thoughts as he waited. With the amount his mind wandered, he was surprised he even managed to get his PhD in the first place.

Within a few minutes, Sara had somehow managed to muster all the Legends onto the bridge. While it wasn't exactly what he envisioned, he was surprised she even managed to get Mick to trudge out.

"So," Nate finally spoke as everyone gathered around him. "This is going to sound really weird."

"I've been through plenty of weird lately," Mona responded. "Just go for it."

Nate took a deep breath before beginning. "Here's the thing. We need to work together on a mission, but I also need to pretend like I did the whole thing with the Time Bureau's help. I swear, I'm this close to getting him to tell me what he's doing with all the magical creatures. He just needs a little extra push... and an incentive not to cut our funding."

"I know a guy with daddy issues when I see one," Mick said.

"Not sure if that was supportive or not, but I guess I'll take it," Nate shrugged off the comment before turning to Sara. "So, what do you think? I can just take some real easy mission if you're worried."

"We always manage to screw up the easiest missions to most," Zari said.

Before Nate could reply, Sara spoke up, "did you tell Ava about this whole situation?"

"Uh, no," he cleared his throat.

"Look, I've hidden my fair share of secrets from the Time Bureau, but something like this?" Sara pointed out. "There's a lot riding on us if you're saying this mission is the only thing keeping the Bureau running."

"Well, if we're looking for a fugitive anyway, what's the big deal with letting Nate take the credit for it?" Ray asked.

No matter how much Nate tried to hide the smile appearing on his face, he figured he owed it to Ray to at least show him how he felt. He gazed over in the man's direction, trying to silently thank him for his support. However, the moment they met each other in the eyes, they both focused on the ground.

"The only issue with that is there's not a single fugitive that Gideon has told us about. Except a very dangerous demon lady, which Constantine has warned us  _very thoroughly_ to stay away from," Sara responded.

Nate paused. "Well, isn't it kinda the Legend's MO to run into danger?"

"To make things perfectly clear, you all can run into danger, but I'll be here backing you up on the ship. I'm not dying because you wankers decided to fight some witch," Charlie spoke up.

"Wow, okay. I'm still not used to those words coming out of Amaya's mouth," Nate motioned to Charlie, "but what's the big issue? We've faced dangerous things before."

"Yeah, but this gal is off the charts dangerous. Word is she can see inside your mind, but we have no idea how or even where she is," Sara said. "The answer is no. I can't let any Legend go running off into danger until we have more information."

That simple statement was exactly how Nate ended up in the library with a pile of books around him at 4:00 in the morning. He clutched the mug in front of him tightly, chugging down his fourth cup of coffee as if it was water. While it was just like old times, something didn't feel quite right about what he was investigating. He could barely get past her name, which took enough scavenging to find on its own. Oscurita wasn't exactly something that jumped out at him.

Nate sat up, slamming his hands on the desk as if the cups of coffee finally kicked in. He hoped the noise wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up, but he learned from experience that they were deep sleepers. While his knowledge of languages didn't come in handy that much anymore with all the technology he had access to, this happened to be one of the few times it did.

While he had been looking at the word as a name the whole time, the sleep deprivation appeared to give him a new perspective. He pulled out an Italian dictionary to confirm, and sure enough, oscurita was clearly listed in it as darkness. The meaning of the name, however, wasn't exactly what he was looking for. The language of the name gave him an insight into exactly where the fugitive probably was. Nate couldn't believe he spent hours on end researching when the answer was right in front of him.

If this demon invaded people's minds, Nate couldn't think of a single place better for her to be than Renaissance Italy. After all, the intellect of all the artists and inventors alone would be enough to last for decades of human history.

"Gideon?" Nate shouted out, almost wincing at the sound of his own voice after so long.

"Yes, Dr. Heywood?" The AI replied.

Although Gideon couldn't search all of history for the fugitive, she could certainly search a specific time period for her. Even though Nate could feel his eyelids slipping, he continued.

"Can you search Renaissance Italy for any sign of a fugitive?" Nate asked, waiting as she processed the information.

He placed his head on the desk as he waited, trying to get a few moments of sleep. Just as he was starting to drift off, however, he jumped at the sound of Gideon's voice and scrambled to understand what she was saying.

"There is a trace of a magical signature in 1512," Gideon started.

"The year the Sistine Chapel was completed," Nate recalled as if he had just read a flashcard.

"Precisely. The signature is strongest in the bars near this landmark. Famous men have been known to congregate here and they likely have some information on the fugitive," Gideon said.

One trip to the fabrication room and a lot of sneaking through the halls later, he had made his way to the jumpship. Although in his opinions the Renaissance clothes were a fashion nightmare, at least it was period appropriate. No matter how badass he looked wearing a suit all day, the historian side of him just couldn't handle it.

When he reached the jumpship and plopped into the chair, he had to blink off his exhaustion enough to even get it moving. Although Gideon was the one who programmed the location, he had to find the switch to get the whole thing moving which was harder than it seemed when his head was spinning. After a few minutes of fumbling around the control board, he finally gripped onto something he hoped was correct.

As Sara wasn't around for a sendoff, he figured he would make one for himself, "let's see what life is like in a newly post-printing press world."

Sure, it likely wouldn't fly well with the whole group, but he figured that for a first attempt it could be worse. He placed his hand firmly on the lever, hesitating for a moment. He pressed it forward, his mind consumed with thoughts of what could possibly be waiting for him in the Renaissance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens yeET 
> 
> AKA: Nate kinda gets cursed by a demon and drugged by one of his favs things are not going well for him. 
> 
> Remember to leave any feedback you have!

Nate wandered along the cobbled streets, shivering as the wind pounded on his back. Typically, at least one other person would be around on the mission to make small talk with or even give him an extra pair of hands. Without a teammate, though, every creak or thump nearly made him jump. He took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts that someone was following him out of his mind. After all, the whole point of disobeying Sara's direct orders was to impress Hank, and that wouldn't happen if he chickened out before doing anything.

Although Nate was certain that he looked ridiculous with his puffy sleeves and purple coat, he created it in the fabrication room because he knew he had to blend it. Nothing screamed suspicious like a guy in a suit interrogating someone from the 16th century. Since the streets were eerily empty, he decided that it would be no use to try to get information out of a passerby. 

Nate pulled out the crumpled map that Gideon had created for him with the city scrawled onto it in messy ink. While he would normally find it hard to read, she had assisted by putting a giant red circle where the Waverider was parked and where the bar he needed to go to was located. After a few minutes of brisk walking, Nate finally reached his destination.

A hastily painted sign on the door read ' _vino e gioia_ ' which he translated as 'wine and joy'. Nate supposed he would be unsure if it was an accurate title unless he went inside. He placed his hand gently on the door, taking a deep breath. He pushed his way into the bar, immediately overwhelmed with all the sights and sounds around him.

Men milled through the crowded area, engaging in everything from spirited yelling to hushed exchanges. Gentle harp music echoed from the back of the room, practically drowned out by the various conversations around it. Nate almost got lost in the chaos until he spotted a familiar face in the mass.

Standing just a few feet away from him was Michelangelo. The Michelangelo. Given that he had written his PhD thesis on the man's influence on society, he would say that it was unlikely he would miss his face anywhere. He weighed the pros of cons of talking to him, almost immediately deciding that the pros had to outweigh the cons no matter what they were. Although he was completely star struck and had to avoid saying anything about the future, he figured he could at least get some useful information out of the man.

"Michelangelo? It really is a pleasure to meet you. I'm a huge fan of your work," Nate said, smiling as the man turned around.

"And who might you be, young man?"

"Na- Niccolo," he quickly replaced his name with one that was more period appropriate. "Actually, we are fellow artists. I've come from a town far away, and I have been hoping to sculpt something supernatural that is rumored to live here. Do you know what this might be?"

"Of course, but if you come from so far away, it would be ungracious of me to not offer you a drink! I insist."

Nate nodded slightly, having to stop another smile from spreading across his face at the fact the man actually offered to buy him a drink. Almost immediately, the bartender poured the two a glass of wine, likely equally stunned by Michelangelo's presence.

"So about this creature you've heard of, what do you know about him?" he asked, pushing the drink forward.

Nate took a few sips, "Well, I've heard that he's actually a she. Eyewitnesses sources say she is more of a demon with a knack for looking into human's minds."

He hoped he hadn't revealed too much to such an important historical figure, but it was the only way he believed the man would trust him.

"Well, I think I've heard of the lady you speak of, but it is very dangerous to talk about her in the middle of a crowded area. You never know who may be listening to your every word."

"You know what?" Nate paused, taking another sip of his drink. "you're absolutely right. We should just whisper. That'll work, right?"

For some reason, he felt oddly groggy, which was abnormal given that he only had a few sips of wine. He wasn't a lightweight by any means, and it normally took at least a couple drinks to get him even tipsy. As he felt himself slip slowly out of consciousness as if sinking back into his own mind, it was met by only confusion. Roofies weren't exactly around in the 1500s and he doubted Michelangelo would the one to drug him. Despite his historical knowledge, there was no denying what had happened. Within a matter of seconds, his limbs weakened and his vision blurred until it went completely blank.

_________

Nate stirred, blinking rapidly as light surged into his vision. He groaned softly, hardly able to determine how long he had been out cold. While that fact was troubling, what he considered even more troubling was the room he found himself in. Despite the freezing weather outside, a thick and uncomfortable heat settled throughout the room. Cracked and misplaced stones lined the walls of the room, coated in a thick layer of moss and vines. If the setting was intended to make him feel uneasy, it was certainly working.

Clenching his fists, he attempted to steel up, but it was almost as if there was a roadblock on his powers. He grimaced in frustration, not even able to access arguably the only thing that has stayed consistent in his life lately. Between leaving the Waverider and his constantly changing relationship with his dad, the fact he had superpowers was really the only thing he could cling onto. Yet, in the time where he needed them the most, they were completely unavailable.

An object flickered in his peripheral vision. While he stood up to try to confront it, an unknown prescience forced him down to his knees roughly. He could only imagine himself being on his knees for one person, and he was almost certain he wasn't here.

A shadowy figure stepped into his vision, dark wisps almost like a storm cloud surrounding her. Despite the fact that he couldn't see much other than a pair of piercing red eyes and protruding horns, he guessed this was the demon he was looking for. 

"So, quick question," Nate had no idea what compelled him to talk. "How did you end up getting Michelangelo on your side? Because I respect that man very much and him drugging me is making that very hard."

He figured that was the only logical explanation, although it pained him to admit it.

"Human minds are weak," the demon rasped. 

Nate paused, "That was...surprisingly deep actually. I expected you to say money or something, honestly. I think human minds are stronger than you expect."

Ominous silence consumed the room for a moment, leaving Nate to wonder what Oscurita's reaction would be.

"Well, let's see how strong your mind is."

Nate swore that under the dark cloud, the corners of turned up almost menacingly. Although Nate flinched away, the demon surged forward, pressing a freezing hand against his forehead. A blazing pain shot through his temple causing him to grit his teeth and almost fall backward. He could hardly contain the scream of agony itching to release itself.

"I see you're a liar," she said.

At least, those words were all Nate was able to make out over the buzz of pain. The world started to almost spin around him, but he still forced out his words. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" He panted. 

"You will know in due time."

Although Nate opened his mouth to respond, he found that it simply hung agape. The stone environment around him seemed to fold in on itself, replaced by white mist. The vapor swirled around him, consuming his vision and tearing across his skin. With his eyes squeezed shut, he hardly realized he was in a new location until he heard a loud cough. 

"Nate, what the heck is going on?" Ray asked. 

He would recognize the voice of his best friend anywhere. Besides, it was entirely likely that Ray would be the first one to pipe up. 

"What Haircut means to say is 'why the hell are you in the sink?'" Mick said. 

Completely perplexed by Mick's statement, Nate finally took the opportunity to force his eyes open. Blinking rapidly at the sudden light that streamed into his vision, he glanced around. Before he looked over at his team or the rest of the kitchen, he looked down beneath him. Sure enough, he was uncomfortably wedged in the sink. 

 "You wouldn't guess it but the weirdest thing just happened," Nate prefaced. 

"Oh, I'd guess it. You're literally just appeared in a sink. But, anyway, go on," Sara said. 

Nate absolutely wanted to just blow off the whole situation and act like it was just a normal part of working at the Time Bureau, but things didn't exactly work out as planned. Instead, he ended up spilling his guts to the entire team with only the slightest bit of prompting. 

"So, even though you told me not to sneak away, I kind of did like a total badass," Nate said. "I took the jumpship to Renaissance Italy and went into his bar that Gideon said would have some information on our demon lady. Anyway, I ran into Michaelangelo, which was just about the best moment of my life until he drugged me so I ended up in this weird basement straight out of a horror movie and the demon lady came up to me and touched my forehead. It hurt. A lot. Anyway, now I'm here."

"And if you ended up sneaking away, why did you tell us all about it?" Sara asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"I didn't want to."

John clapped his hands together, pushing up from the table. "I've seen this before. The poor lad got cursed by the demon, and, until we find her, seems like he'll have a lot of accidental fessing up to do."

"Yeah, especially about my sandwich," Mick grumbled. 

Nate could practically feel his face paling as he shoved himself out of the sink. As soon as he felt solid ground beneath him, he rushed toward the door without braving a glance back at the team.

"Why are running?" Charlie called after him. "Scared of what we'll ask you?"

Nate tried to hold his words back, but yet again they slipped out, "yeah kinda!"

Hardly paying attention to whether or not the door closed behind him, Nate sprinted down the hallways. Despite his time at the Bureau, he knew the way to his room like the back of his hand. When he reached the door, he flung it open, collapsing on his bed. Thankfully, Ray hadn't let anyone move into his room, so it was still exactly the way he remembered it. 

Although he hoarded plenty of books and video games in his room, he couldn't motivate himself to do anything but stare up at the ceiling. He lost track of time, stuck in the limbo of his own thoughts. No matter how hard he thought about how to cure himself, he couldn't come up with a solution without more information on the demon he was facing. He wasn't even aware that he was completely spacing out until he heard some small clicks echo around the room. 

He didn't exactly have time to dwell on what exactly they were, though, as Charlie burst into the room. 

"Okay, first thing first, yes, I picked your lock, but don't dart, mate," Charlie put her hands up jokingly. "I come in peace."

"Zari, you too?" Nate peered over to see the woman standing in the doorway. "I thought you were on my side."

"Yeah, yeah, cool the drama. We just have a few questions," Charlie said.

"Highly doubt it, but I can't stop you. The ship's only so big," Nate resigned, leaning back onto his pillow. 

"Do you think I'm hot?" Charlie asked. 

Nate swore he almost choked at the question, coughing profusely. He leaned up in his bed while a blush began to spread across his cheeks. Once he was able to catch his breath, he forced out a response. 

"For the record, extremely weird question, and I definitely wouldn't be answering it if I weren't cursed," Nate paused. "But you also have the face of my ex-girlfriend, so yeah, I think you're pretty hot."

"Okay, so, while we're on the topic of Amaya, how many times did you screw up a mission by screwing Amaya?"

"How did you even know about that?" Nate sat up a little straighter, glancing over at Zari. 

She simply turned away from his gaze and stared at the floor intently. He knew a guilty person when he saw one but decided not to push the issue until he was in a less vulnerable situation. 

"At least two. I don't count, jeez, lay off it a bit," Nate said. 

His discomfort was beginning to grow obvious with his low, tense voice and slumped body language. Despite the fact that he looked like a bear ready to attack, he didn't really have any option but to sit there and take the hit. After all, there was no way he'd even think about hurting his friends. 

"Okay, just one more question. Do you have any historical crushes? I mean, other than the girlfriend that dumped you in 1942?" Charlie pressed.

"Haha very funny, it's Elvis," Nate blurted out. 

It seemed that the truth slipped out more easily from his lips, which was not something he wanted to be used to. While he wasn't exactly a liar, he preferred to keep some more personal things private. Such as a crush on a certain 50s rock and roll singer. 

"I knew that was the reason you were so obsessed with saving him!" Zari said. "Rock and roll really couldn't be that worth it."

Just when Nate thought things were slowing down, Charlie decided to drop an absolute bomb of a question on him. 

"Ah, so you're not straight then?"

"If we're in the mood for a Q and A still, then no, I'm not straight," Nate sighed. 

He wasn't sure why it was so hard for him to say something like that. After all, it was kind of 2019. Time was a little funky in the temporal zone, but that was the year he decided to place the present in. Still, he couldn't stop himself from staring blankly at the wall as if someone just stole all five of his Indiana Jones movies. 

"So you must have a crush on someone on this ship then, right?" Charlie asked. 

"How did you come up with that conclusion? Just because he's not straight, and even if he was straight, doesn't mean he would have a crush-" Zari started. 

"Yeah," Nate muttered under his breath. 

Although he had to tell the truth, he realized he was able to fudge it a little bit with a vague answer. It wasn't exactly in his best interest to tell the two people who were most interested in his personal life the secret he had been keeping for years. His brain ran through a list of option for how to get out of the situation, but, given that faking a heart attack was the best one, he just glared at Charlie. 

"Well then,  _amigo_ ," Nate decided to overlook Charlie's butchered Spanish. "Who is it.?

Without a second thought, Nate's hand shot up to his mouth. Although the words, which he was 100% certain were about Ray still came out of his mouth incessantly, he muffled them enough with his hand so they only sounded like gibberish. He shot pleading looks at Charlie and Zari to just let his improvised plan worked, which he thought were successful for a moment. That was, until, with a simple swish of her finger, Zari sent a gust of wind to knock away his hand. 

"It's Ray."

"This is rich. Two nerds in love? You two were made for each other. I knew it was only a matter of time until you'd be shagging," Charlie crossed her arms proudly.

"Glad you think so, but he's in love with Nora Darhk, so there's no way I'm gonna be his boyfriend."

Zari gasped dramatically, "since you have two perfectly good wingwomen, I'm saying that you'll have him in a week tops."

When Charlie nodded eagerly, Nate could hardly stop himself from groaning. However, since they already knew his secret, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to have someone to confide in. 

"So, tell us everything. We need a little romance in our lives. Why exactly do you like him so much?" Charlie asked. 

For the first time in the whole conversation, Nate laughed. "You two are in for a very long night."


	3. Chapter 3

Nate sat in his bed while staring at the ceiling. He felt like he would be a lot more entertained if he could throw a ball at the wall (like in the movies), but he didn't feel like being confronted on the way to the Fabrication Room. If he stayed in his room, save for people like Charlie picking his lock, he assumed he would be safe from the onslaught of questions coming his way.

However, this didn't last for long as he heard a knock on the door. It wasn't gentle by any means, so Nate pushed himself up from the bed to stop the insistent noise. He was certain that the longer he ignored it, the worse his already growing headache would get. He pressed the button his wall, watching as the door slid open.

He sighed, not even really processing who was outside the door, "what do you want to know?"

He wasn't even sure where his defeated tone of voice came from. No one except Charlie and Zari had even asked him any questions, but the fear of what could happen loomed over him. Once he made eye contact with the person in front of him, he quickly realized it was Sara. Although he couldn't shake the wary feeling in his stomach, he doubted she would ask anything intrusive.

"I don't want to know anything like...that, but I wanted to let you know you're going to be put on a mission with Ray. You're the only one who's seen the witch and he can shrink down and do some recon. Thoughts?

"No, I don't want to. That is definitely, 100% not a good idea," Nate blurted out.

Sara's eyes narrowed, "okay, why?"

"I'm just afraid, I guess," Nate took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm afraid I'm going to tell Ray I'm in love with him and this is kind of a big thing for me that I don't want to mess up by being cursed. I mean, I can't exactly say I was just joking if he knows I can't lie."

"Oh, it's just another romance on the ship? Just use protection and don't be dumb, okay?" Sara instruction.

Nate almost chocked on air, "no, you don't understand. It's never gonna happen. He's in love with Nora."

"Well, have you ever asked him?"

"Uh, no," Nate admitted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Look, all I'm saying is you're not the only one on the ship who might have some secrets," Sara's words caused Nate's heart to almost beat out of his chest. "Anyway, you two are going on the mission, and that's an order. I think you have some stuff to work out. Besides, you guys are bros. What could go wrong?"

There was no way Nate could miss the blatant teasing in her words. He flashed her a quick scowl, but she only met it with a smile.

"Bridge in five minutes, Heywood. Don't be late," Sara spun around and shut the door behind her, leaving Nate simply staring at a blank sheet of metal.

He sighed and fell back on his mattress. He decided that the best use of his precious time was returning to his previous task: staring at the ceiling. That only provided himself a brief respite, though, as within a few minutes he had to drag himself up again. He opened the door and lumbered through the hallway into the bridge. It felt like he was half asleep as he walked the path he had many times before, relying on muscle memory alone.

When he reached the bridge, the whole crew had already circled around the console. Only a few people actually turned around to look at him, but Ray was one of them. His expression wasn't completely readable, but his eyes conveyed concern that Nate had only seen when he looked at Nora. He felt his heart almost sink in his chest, panging with jealousy.

"Are you good, bro?" Ray asked.

Although he had good intentions, he only caused the entire team to stare over at Nate. He wasn't exactly a confident sight by any means. He shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, fidgeting almost absentmindedly.

"No, I'm just a little nervous," he revealed as little as he could before switching subjects. "We're really going after Oscurita, huh?"

"Looks like I found a team that needs a pep talk," Sara said.

"Chose me! I mean, come on. I'm obviously the resident pep talk expert. I even hyped up Mick once and it was glorious!" Ray threw his arms up, practically begging to be selected.

Gideon's voice rang through the area, " I think Dr. Heywood should tell us what exactly he likes about the team to inspire us."

"You're in on this too, Gideon?" Nate protested.

"Last week at 2:00 am in the library you called me a stupid supercomputer. I would choose your words wisely next time, Dr. Heywood. Now, what is it that you love about this team?"

"Look, if you couldn't tell, I haven't had the best relationship with my father," Nate sighed. "I spent my whole childhood looking for who I wanted to be and the people I wanted to be with. When I went to college, I found that history was my passion, but it only made me grow farther and farther from my dad. And when I found out about you guys, everyone just thought I was a complete nutcase. Even when I set foot on this ship, my hemophilia made me feel like an outcast, but the moment I got powers, that all changed. Every day I'm with you guys I wouldn't trade for the world. Sure, I had a shitty family, but I found my real family in you guys."

He took a deep breath, hardly able to recover from his lengthy ramble. It was way more information than he intended to spill, but, he supposed with it out in the public, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He waited for any kind of verbal reaction, but all he got was a few stares that he couldn't quite read.

"That's a send-off if I've ever heard one. Nate, Ray, you're up. The Sistine Chapel in your hunch for where to go, right?" Sara asked.

After a simple nod from Nate, she continued, " Constantine and Zari, you're on the west side. Charlie and I will take East. Mick and Mona will QB from here. Try not to murder each other, okay?"

With that, Nate and Ray exited the Waverider side by side onto the chilly Italian streets. While Nate was familiar with the area, Ray glanced around with the childish wonder that he found so adorable. It only took them a few minutes to reach the towering building and step inside. However, as soon as he stepped inside, it seemed like his curse got worse and worse, as he just started to spew out random things.

"Did you know that yesterday, I snuck onto the Waverider and used Mick's mayo? I had to hide for two hours just to avoid him," Nate blurted.

Nate figured that wasn't big enough of a slip-up that he had to justify it in any way, but he just hoped things wouldn't get any worse. He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, scanning the area around him. The same crumbling stone he had seen earlier lined the room, complete with multitudes of cobwebs.

"Sometimes I stand outside the lab and just watch you. You never notice, though. You're always way too focused on your work," Nate said.

At that point, he pretended to cough to cut himself off before he said something more risky. He crouched down and pressed his hand against the ground. As he lifted it back up, a strange, black substance was practically splattered all over his hand. Once he took another look back at the ground, a footprint of the dark goo had accumulated.

"I've also stayed awake for five days in a row and I don't even think that's humanly possible," Nate ignored the words coming out of his mouth in favor of inspecting the ground.

Ray was almost uncharacteristically silent. He simply nodded whenever he said one of his random tidbits, hardly even reacting. However, Nate certainly couldn't stifle a reaction to what happened.

Ray leaned over behind him and started to take a closer look at the footprint. Everything went to hell in a handbasket for Nate the minute Ray started kneeling, pressed up dangerously close against him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his breath hitching before he could even control it. He couldn't fight off a vivid image of him simply leaning in and planting a kiss on his lips.

He hardly even noticed the words beginning to slip out, "God, I really want to kiss you right now."

Nate could have easily died right there and then from complete embarrassment. He covered his mouth with his hand as fast as he could, but at that point, it was far too late.

"What?" Ray asked, his voice rising an octave.

He didn't really blame him, as he had been hiding his feeling for so long that the sudden admitting of them must have come as a complete shock. What just happen shocked even Nate so much, that he was almost thankful when the demon appeared a few feet away. After the wisps of smoke cleared from his face, he shot up in front of Ray.

"Don't move," he warned, taking a cautious step forward.

He clenched his fists as tight as he could, his skin shifting into steel like it was second nature. From there, he just took to scowling at Oscurita as if it would make any difference.

"Don't let her mess with you," Nate ventured a glance over at Ray

"I don't mess with people," she replied in her signature raspy voice. " I just give them what they deserve."

"What's that?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "torture?"

"You said something to Ray, does he remember what it is?" she asked.

"How do you know his name?"

"I know more than you think, Nathaniel. Including what you've so desperately been trying to hide from him."

Ray paused, "it was the mayo, wasn't it? I swear, I won't tell Mick. My lips are sealed."

"Humans are so oblivious," Oscurita said.

"Shut up, I got this," Nate took a deep breath. "Look, I'm in love with you, you idiot. And yes, I mean that in the nicest way possible. I know you're in love with Nora but, Jesus Christ, whatever curse she put on me is really strong so I'm just gonna spill my guts to you."

"In love with Nora? I mean, I thought I was, but I'm actually in love with someone else," Ray sputtered.

"God, please don't say she's going to curse you and make you tell me."

"She doesn't have to, because I'm in love with you, Nate."

Nate swore that his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Along with that, his breath caught in his throat, and, if his body wasn't trying so hard to keep him alive, he probably would have dropped dead. The moment that he finally relaxed, his skin shifted back to normal.

"Uh, can you give us a moment please?" Nate didn't take his eyes off of Ray.

Still, the demon had picked up on the fact that it was her, and not Ray, that he wanted to go. He figured that it didn't take her mind-reading powers to discover that one. When a woosh sounded in his ears and a dark fog swirled around the room, he assumed that she had left. Either way, after years of waiting, he wasn't going to wait any longer. 

He walked forward a few steps, placing his hands on Ray's shoulders. He glanced over at him looking for confirmation, and, sure enough, a small nod gave him enough courage to continue. As he connected his lips with Ray's, he realized the kiss was all he ever wanted and more. It didn't just feel like the awkward, hormonal kisses of his teenage years but something completely perfect. As he finally pulled away, he was completely breathless. They simply spent a few moments staring at each other, and he ventured a guess that Ray found the kiss as unbelievable as he did.

"Do either of you know where my mayo is?"

The noise from both of their coms almost caused them to jump right in their spot. Nate took a shaky breath before replying, hoping to God he would be able to craft a clever lie.

"We have no idea. You should probably check the fridge," Nate almost sighed in relief.

Finally, he could let white lies slip as fluidly as he could the truth. It felt like such a huge burden had been lifted off his chest. Not only did he find out that the man of dreams had liked him all along, he did it as painlessly as possible with the whole not lying situation.

Mick grunted over the coms, "Pretty, Haircut, congrats. The whole ship just heard the script of the cheesiest romance movie ever."

Nate held back a groan, "if you thought the teasing while we were still friends was bad, get ready for a whole new level, dude."

"I don't care when I'm with you," Ray smiled.

Nate offered Ray his hand, which he didn't hesitate to grasp tightly. The two held onto each other's hand as if the world was about to end, which, knowing their track record, it might as well. However, the minute they walked back to the streets, those thoughts immediately dissipated. The previously hectic, lamplit streets now seemed almost serene as only a few people lingered on them. He found that, by Ray's side, it was easier than ever to clear every thought from his mind and simply stride along like nothing else in the world mattered. Although Nate was well aware of how easily the truth could tear people apart, it turned out it could also bring them much closer together in the best way possible.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's all y'all. let me know if you enjoyed!


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